SAD COINCIDENCES, SAD NEWS: RIP MCA YAUCH

You know sometimes strange associations happen in your mind. I’ve thought of myself able to meet coherence and a point of insanity, and the second can be noticed in certain situations and thoughts I keep for myself.

Yesterday was May The Fourth, a relevant day for all the Star Wars diehard fans, as I confirmed yesterday by writing a post about Boba Fett.

My head went a step beyond and started to think of Intergalactic, by Beastie Boys, with a funny video recorded in Tokyo, resembling and paying tribute to all these classic Japanese kaiju films. I love that song.

Sad news stroke us past the afternoon. Adam Yauch, aka MCA, from Beastie Boys, had passed away, after several years struggling against cancer. Damn, he was 47!

No doubt he lived these years very intensely, his activities not strictly limited to the band, but also quite involved in Buddhism, supporting the Tibetan independent movement, and developing a career as independent film director, Yauch founded a production and distribution company for encouraging this side of the film industry. Under the pseudonym of Nathaniel Hörnblowér, he directed many of Beastie Boys’ videos.

Reactions among the c ommunity of artists and press was immediate and remarkable, paying Youch great respect, and highlighting his contribution to music. From Bret Easton Ellis to DjJazzy Jeff, including Duff McKagan, Ryan Adams or Huey Morgan. The world was mourning the loss.

Beastie Boys, white rappers from Brooklyn who integrated rock with hip hop and they kicked our asses when we were teenagers. So good memories.

Allow me to recover some of my favorite moments related to this band.

FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT

Can’t believe it was 1987 when I watched this video in one of the best music magazines on TV in Spain, Tocata, but yes, checking dates and all the stuff, I reckon I was 10 when I saw the three stooges from Brooklyn messing around and claiming for a fundamental right of the human being ,and especially youth community, right to party, hell yeah. I recorded the video on VHS, and used to watch it a lot. Even my dad found it funny…huh!

As memories are confusing and I was a kid, both Risky Business, the movie with Tom Cruise, and Fight For Your Right were greatly received by lil Toi.

How many times have I yelled with this song raising a beer to the top? I don’t know, thousands? Beastie Boys delivered a timeless anthem and an upper hardly to forget.

SABOTAGE – 1994 MTV AWARDS LIVE PERFORMANCE

When Ill Communication was released, I had been fighting for my right to party a couple at least a couple of years already. It was that period of time on Saturday all the friends were joining at a huge venue named Devizio (translated would mean something related to Vice). Ours was a outnumbered crowd of around 20 people, so the dancing and the headbanging was quite of a show.

It was the time we all loved RATM, NWA, Clawfinger, Biohazard, Body Count, Judgment Night soundtrack, Cypress Hill, and this fusion of rock and metal with rap…and of course, Beastie Boys occupied a privileged position in our preferences.

The video, directed by Spike Jonze is one of the most brilliant and coolest ever, and became a reference for future film tribute projects.

However, Sabotage really shocked me when I saw this live performance for the 1994 MTV Video Awards…yes, when MTV ruled and the Awards featured awesome performances. Well, this was one. Enjoying Beastie Boys playing the instruments and kicking asses was another moment to highlight. I remember myself at home, late at night literally vibrating.

CHECK IT OUT – LIVE ON THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, 2004

Promoting their album To The 5 Boroughs, Beastie Boys decided to have a groovie walk by The Late Show with David Letterman’s set surroundings, including NYC subway, offering this super cool Check It Out, and showing they were still the bosses.

I must admit I saw this video yesterday, so not much story can be added, just that I flipped a lot, and guess you’d love this piece.

Wherever you are MCA, I wish you, not to rest, but to keep on partying as only you know. Thanks for the groove and the fun!

The Beastie Boys have reinvented themselves many times since they arrived on the scene in the early 1980s, but one area of consistency for the hip-hop trio is their penchant for releasing excellent music videos, going back to 1983’s ” (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) “, which they recently revisited . Their newest video, the Spike Jonze-directed ” Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win ,” featuring Santigold, debuted on Funny Or Die yesterday.